iPod Shuffle Challenge: Eli Stone
by Veritas Found
Summary: 6/24 ficlets written for a multi-fandom response to the iPod Shuffle Challenge.
1. Kiss the Girl

**Series:** iPod Shuffle Challenge

**Fandom:** Eli Stone

**Character / Pairing Focus:** Eli Stone x Maggie Dekker

**Rating:** K Plus / PG / All Ages

**Notes:** Post-S1; written before S2 started. On that note, I should be shot for wanting to see this in the show as badly as I do now.

**Disclaimer:** _Eli Stone_ and all respective properties are © ABC. Megan D. (Veritas Found) does not, has never, nor will ever own _Eli Stone_.

_**Kiss the Girl (performed by the Little Mermaid Original Broadway Cast)**_

_Sha-la-la-la-la, don't stop now! Don't try to hide it, how you wanna kiss de girl!_

_Sha-la-la-la-la, float along and listen to de song – de song say kiss de girl!_

_Sha-la-la-la-la, music play – do what de music say!_

_Go on and kiss de girl!_

"Anyway, I was thinking…now that you're back, I could maybe…well, you don't want to take on any solo cases too soon and you might need help and…well…what?" Maggie glanced up at him, her babbling suddenly stopping as she took in the smile on his face. His lips quirked just a bit higher as he shook his head.

"Maggie, if you're asking me if you can second chair, you know I don't mind," he said, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"I-I wasn't…I mean, I just thought…well, we always…and you…" she paused, frowning as she looked at the mirror behind him, where she could clearly see the scar running along the back of his head beneath his shaved hair. He had assured her his hair would grow back and the scar would become less visible, but it still made her squeamish seeing it.

"Maggie, relax: it was just a slight life-threatening operation. I'm fine. No more aneurysm, no more crazy visions, no more –" he started, but she shook her head.

"How can you say that, Eli? It _wasn't_ slight! It was a big deal – you almost died! And it's your first day back and already you're taking on a new case, and I just thought that you…" she continued to ramble on, reprimanding him for some thing or other, but he suddenly found he couldn't focus on her as Jordan Wethersby walked by.

"There you see her, sitting there across de way," he sang, and his blood ran cold as the lights in the office shut off to center on his singing boss and Maggie. "She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her…"

"Oh, no…" he choked, watching as Mr. Wethersby stopped behind Maggie – who was still rambling – and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking from her to him and smiling in a way that made him…well, want to punch him in the face.

"And you don't know why, but you're dying to try – you wanna kiss de girl," Mr. Wethersby _winked_ at him before twirling away, and then Matt was bumped up against him, an arm laid conspiratorially over his shoulders.

"Yes, you want her. Look at her – you know you do. Possible she want you, too – there is one way to ask her," Matt sang, and despite his unwillingness to believe this was really happening – maybe they had gotten together and decided to play a joke on him? A 'Welcome Back to the Office We're Glad You're Not Crazy Anymore so Let's Remind You of When You Were' joke? – he couldn't help but think of that kiss, and he gulped as Matt nudged his arm and winked at him. "It don't take a word – not a single word! Go on and kiss de girl!"

"No, Matt, I really don't think that's a good idea," he said, giving his vision a stern glare. Matt winked at him _again_ before stepping back and clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Sing with me now," he said, and then he twirled away to join Mr. Wethersby and a group of others twirling around the main floor of the WPK building.

"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared – you got de mood prepared, go on and kiss de girl! Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now! Don't try to hide it, how you wanna kiss de girl! Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along, and listen to de song: de song say, 'Kiss de girl!'" they sang, Matt and Mr. Wethersby taking a moment to point at Maggie as they sang the last bit. He rolled his eyes and glanced back at Maggie, who had stopped rambling and was now glancing at him shyly. Was she…oh, God, was she _blushing?_

"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, music play –" the group sang, and then Mr. Wethersby threw an arm in the air and added, more emphatically: "Do what de music say!"

'I thought the whole purpose of having that surgery was to _stop_ doing what the music said!' he thought acerbically, shooting a glare at his boss, but then he looked back at Maggie as the group sang out the title of the Disney song (_why_ Disney? Why couldn't it have just been another round with George Michael or Credence or hell, how about some Seger?) and, against his better judgment and all he knew he _should_ be doing…he kissed her. Slow and deep, the kind of kiss he had secretly been dreaming of ever since…and then he pulled away, and through half-lidded eyes took in her dazed expression and gobsmacked look, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Wow…Eli…" she gasped, and his smile grew as he went to kiss her again… "Eli! _Eli!_"

"Bwuh?" he jumped, shaking his head as he looked back to her to see her giving him a concerned look. She reached out and touched his arm, and he tensed at the gesture.

"Eli, are you all right? Are you sure you should be coming back to work already? I'm sure Mr. Weathersby wouldn't mind if you needed more time o…Eli?" she asked, blinking in confusing as he turned to the pillar next to them and began beating his head against it. "Eli!"

"Stupid…freaking…Jamaican…crabs…"


	2. Vulnerable

**Series:** iPod Shuffle Challenge

**Fandom:** Eli Stone

**Character / Pairing Focus:** Eli Stone, Taylor Wethersby

**Rating:** K Plus / PG / All Ages

**Notes:** Between 01x12-13 ("Waiting for that Day"/ "Soul Free"); set before the operation.

**Disclaimer:** _Eli Stone_ and all respective properties are © ABC. Megan D. (Veritas Found) does not, has never, nor will ever own _Eli Stone_.

_**Vulnerable (performed by Secondhand Serenade)**_

_Tell me, tell me what makes you think that you are invincible?_

_I can see it in your eyes that you're so sure_

_Please don't tell me that I'm the only one that's vulnerable_

_Impossible_

"Taylor?"

She jumped at the voice, quickly rubbing at her eyes as she turned to face the one person she didn't want to see today. She slapped a smile on her face as she looked at Eli, standing in the entrance to the break room and giving her a concerned smile. Days like this she couldn't help but feel Patti was right; he was too good for her. He should hate her now, like most men do after breakups, but here he was giving her that look that told her he'd stop the world to make her feel better. Shouldn't he be giving that look to Maggie now?

"Yes?" she asked, and he frowned as he walked over to her. He reached out, as if he wanted to touch her face, but hesitated before dropping his arm back to his side. It hurt to think that what had been second nature not so long ago had to be questioned now, but then again they were both to blame for that, weren't they?

"Are you ok?" he asked, forehead creasing as he looked her over. She gave him a weak smile, and the look only grew worse. "Taylor…"

"I'm fine!" she said, maybe too quickly, and sighed when it became obvious he didn't believe her. "I'm not fine."

"What's wrong?" he asked, and she laughed derisively.

"You really have to ask me that, Eli?" she asked, looking up at him. He frowned, and she laughed again. "God, Eli. You're getting brain surgery tomorrow – _brain surgery_. And not too long ago I was set to spend my entire life with you. You really think I'm not worried?"

"Taylor, I've told you: I'm going to be fine," he said. She scoffed and looked back to her coffee, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Or you'll come out a vegetable," she said, and when he didn't reply she knew she might've hit a bit too close to home. "You had me witness the signing of your DNR, Eli. You know as well as I do that you might not come out of this fine. Why aren't you worried?"

"Honestly?" he asked, dropping his gaze to stare at the mug of coffee rapidly cooling on the countertop. "I'm terrified, Taylor. I know I might not live through tomorrow, or at least come out one hundred percent ok. But…I'm trying to ignore it. I'm trying to not be scared, because if I stop long enough to be scared…I'm going to be fine, Taylor. I have to have faith in that. I have to."

"Then I guess I'll have to be scared for the both of us," she said, smiling slightly, and his lips quirked.

"Nah, not just you," he said. He laughed slightly, fisting his hand in his pocket as he did so. "Patti and Maggie will be scared with you. Heck, I think even Matt and Keith will worry. It seems everyone's been on edge around me this week."

"Because we all know this could be…" she stopped, unable to finish the thought. She couldn't admit that possibility, though they all knew it was the most…

"But it won't be," he said, looking back at her. He slipped a hand out of his pocket and reached out, entwining his fingers with hers. "I will make it out of that surgery tomorrow, Taylor. I promise."

"You better, Eli," she said, and she tugged on his hand to pull him into a hug. She squeezed him tight, shutting her eyes just as tightly to block out the tears. "You better…"


	3. I Do

**Series:** iPod Shuffle Challenge

**Fandom:** Eli Stone

**Character / Pairing Focus:** Maggie Dekker; Maggie Dekker x Eli Stone

**Rating:** K Plus / PG / All Ages

**Notes:** Shortly after 02x04 ("Should I Stay or Should I Go?").

**Disclaimer:** _Eli Stone_ and all respective properties are © ABC. Megan D. (Veritas Found) does not, has never, nor will ever own _Eli Stone_.

_**I Do (performed by Jewel)**_

'_Cause love is a game until it's played_

_And if it's lost it can't ever be saved_

_We have heaven to gain and hell to lose_

_And the difference is up to me and you_

_So if you will, I will_

_Stop sayin' 'I won't' and start sayin' 'I do'_

She had wanted him to ask her to stay.

She had wanted more than that, but if nothing else she had just wanted to hear those words. "Maggie, stay." _Please_ stay. _I want you to_ stay. Stay _with me_. Stay.

She had been fooling herself, really. She knew there was no way he could ever feel the same, but she was beginning to realize there would always be that part of her that wished he would. That tiny part of her that wished she had been marrying him, not Scott, and that nothing had happened to upset the engagement. She could see it – if only it could work. They'd have their rough patches (they had them now, when all they were was fr…associates), but it could be – would be – something great. Eli and Maggie Stone, like it always should be.

But wasn't that what he was always telling her? She was too naïve, too optimistic – the real world didn't get the fairytale ending. The real world didn't even get a not-quite-but-good-enough ending. The real world found her leaving for the enemy, just wanting one simple request that – if she hadn't left when she had – she would be waiting on forever.

Because she would, for him. For Eli, she would wait forever. And now the hardest lesson she'd have to learn is that sometimes…sometimes, she couldn't. She had to let him go.

Maybe for him "Not Posner and Klein – don't do that" was as good as "Stay", but sometimes you need the actual words.

Sometimes "I love you" has to be met with "I love you", and sometimes "I can't stay here" has to – needs to – be met with "I can't lose you". Sometimes you have to walk out on your breaking heart, and sometimes…

Sometimes, you have to be ok with that.


	4. Stray

**Series:** iPod Shuffle Challenge

**Fandom:** Eli Stone

**Character / Pairing Focus:** Scott Colby; Scott Colby x Maggie Dekker, Eli Stone x Maggie Dekker

**Rating:** K Plus / PG / All Ages

**Notes:** Shortly before the engagement party in 02x04 ("Should I Stay or Should I Go?").

**Disclaimer:** _Eli Stone_ and all respective properties are © ABC. Megan D. (Veritas Found) does not, has never, nor will ever own _Eli Stone_.

_**Stray (performed by Jason Michael Carroll)**_

_You're gonna stray and leave me standin' alone_

_You're gonna stray – baby, your love's already gone_

_You don't wanna be here – it's perfectly clear_

_And you think you've got it hidden away_

_I know you're gonna stray_

_You're gonna stray_

He wanted to say it all started when she came back to Ohio, but he knew better. It started when she had moved out to San Francisco, when she had met _him_, when her calls had turned from daily to weekly and then weekly to monthly. When those calls had involved nothing but _him_ and the good they were doing for the little people in the big people world. And then something had happened, and then she had come home. She'd been a wreck, though she had done a great job at hiding it. Problem was he knew her, and she had never been that great at lying to him.

So he had proposed. It was a last-ditch effort to get her to stay, one that he had hoped would work. She would agree, and he would move out to California with her, and they'd be just like they used to be. Back before she snagged that job at the prestigious law firm Wethersby, Posner, and Klein. Back before she met _him._

It had worked, at first. Yes, _he_ was the first of her friends he'd met when arriving in the city (he still didn't get why Maggie said _he_ was the reason he was alive now), and yes, _his_ brain surgery had upset things between them for a bit immediately after, but…_he_ had pulled through. While _he_ was recovering, he figured they'd have time to reconnect. To get back to them before the wedding.

He had been proven horrifyingly wrong when she had started pulling eighty-hour weeks to cover for the work _he_ couldn't do while in recovery.

So he had started pulling extra hours, and their relationship suffered even more – maybe that was why he had agreed to Candice. Maybe he wanted to be the one to be out first, even if he knew she had always been. She had been out since the first time she breathed the name _Eli Stone_.

He wasn't stupid. He knew she wanted to be Maggie _Stone_, not Maggie Colby. And he knew, even if they were to end everything tomorrow, she would happily remain Maggie Dekker until she could take _his_ name.

Still, she was his now. She loved him – even if she loved _him_ – and they were getting married. But even as he buttoned up the shirt he would be wearing to their engagement party, he couldn't stop that niggling at the back of his mind – that feeling of the oncoming storm, the tingling at the nape of your neck when you know things are gonna head south and soon, just not how. But he brushed it aside, because he loved her. And she loved him, even if she really loved _him._

And he would just have to pray that that could be enough to get them through.


	5. Within a Mile of Home

**Series:** iPod Shuffle Challenge

**Fandom:** Eli Stone

**Character / Pairing Focus:** Jordan Wethersby

**Rating:** K Plus / PG / All Ages

**Notes:** 02x01 ("The Path").

**Disclaimer:** _Eli Stone_ and all respective properties are © ABC. Megan D. (Veritas Found) does not, has never, nor will ever own _Eli Stone_.

_**Within a Mile of Home (performed by Flogging Molly)**_

_Oh worry, oh my worry, has it been that long?_

_The whistle keeps on blowing, but the chill's all gone_

_His empty frame cannot explain – there's nothing left inside_

_So sing to me a song from yesterday_

_When laughter filled the tears that we now make_

It's a strange sensation, this feeling. Like he's hovering above his life, watching it play out like an old movie he knows so well yet still can't seem to recall the twists and turns that lead to the ending. And that in itself is strange, because this isn't an ending – it almost was, but it's not. Eli made sure of that. Still, lying in this hospital bed, he can look back and see his life playing out before him. The choices that led to meeting Marci and Martin, the choices that led to Ellen and later Taylor, the choices that led to the start of WPK – and then the movie of his life blurs, and he can't see clearly after the start of their firm.

He can't see how they went from three upstart lawyers, each idealistic and eager in their own right, to three of the most cynical, most jaded, most…this is not how he had wanted to be. It isn't how he _wants_ to be. He finds it amazing that it took a man he would have sworn was crazy only a few months ago to make him realize the shell of the former man he's become. He finds it amazing he didn't realize it sooner, that he was so swept up by the clients and the cases and the paychecks that somewhere along the way, Jordan Wethersby was lost and replaced by…well, Mr. Wethersby, leading partner of Wethersby, Posner, and Klein.

He still remembers them as they once were, happy and young and so very green. When they set out to change the world, something he's sure every young lawyer claims – something every young lawyer loses along the way, it seems. Something he's wondering if every old lawyer wants to get back to, or maybe…

Even if it's just him, he knows it's the right thing to do. He knows it's what he has to do, because this…this is not what he wants to be. This is not _who_ he wants to be.

And as soon as he can get out of this damned hospital, he knows just the man who can help him get back to where he was.


	6. Little Victories

**Series:** iPod Shuffle Challenge

**Fandom:** Eli Stone

**Character / Pairing Focus:** Eli Stone

**Rating:** K Plus / PG / All Ages

**Notes:** 02x01 ("The Path").

**Disclaimer:** _Eli Stone_ and all respective properties are © ABC. Megan D. (Veritas Found) does not, has never, nor will ever own _Eli Stone_.

_**Little Victories (performed by Matt Nathanson)**_

_This time I'll have no fear_

_I'll be standing strong and tall_

_Turn my back towards them all_

_And I'll be awful sometimes_

_Weakened to my knees_

_And I'll learn to get by_

_On the little victories_

"If we're going to dance again, no more stepping on our toes. You have to lead this time."

He can't get it out of his head, that little note – warning, almost – from God (or His fiduciary, super-sized vision, or whatever that therapist wanted to go by). It should scare him, but somehow…somehow, this time, none of it does. He almost feels ready, which is – for him – weird. Considering how he handled his visions before, he would have thought he'd be freaking out right now.

But he'd made his choice, and if it means Nate can have his normal life…at least he knows what he's doing. He's done it before, and he can do it again – and he'll do it better, this time. He can do it better. Even if Taylor doesn't believe him, or Dowd, or Mr. Wethersby, or…even if no one believes him. Even if Nate, Frank, and Maggie are the only ones.

At least he still has his license – something his dad couldn't say. He has something to hold on to, to make a difference with. And it may not mean much, in the long run – or it could mean the world. He wasn't sure, and he didn't know if he ever would be – but right now, right here, he's…he's good. Coping, and good. And ready.


End file.
